Manchester's Felix wins Fight to Educate bout

Joel Felix, right, from Manchester, won His fight against James Perkins, from Saugus Massachusetts, during the Fight to Educate Boxing event at the Verizon Wireless Arena, in Manchester on Thursday. (Thomas Roy/Union Leader)

Felix defeated previously unbeaten James Perkins of Saugus, Mass. The judges scored the fight 30-25, 29-28 and 29-28 in favor of Felix, who improved to 5-1. Perkins suffered his first loss in five outings.

Headlining the card was an eight-round welterweight bout between Danny O'Connor of Framingham, Mass., and Raul Tovar of Mission, Texas.

Fighting in his record fifth Fight to Educate, O'Connor (23-1, 7 KOs) turned in a workmanlike eight-round performance to earn a unanimous decision, his ninth straight victory. Now 5-0 (4 KOs) in the FTE, he easily won on all three judges' scorecards, 80-73, 79-37 and 79-73.

An alternate for the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, O'Connor also avenged an amateur loss to Tover (11-8-1, 4 KOs as a professional) in the 2005 National PAL Tournament in Oxnard, California.

But it was beating Tover in Manchester that made the victory special, O'Connor said.

"I made my pro debut here and fought five times in the Fight To Educate," O'Connor said. "I know the (State Boxing) Commission, people of Manchester, even the hotel where we stay and the drive to the arena. I have a sense of security here.Hopefully, I'll have achance to fight here again next year, and someday maybe I'll be lucky enough to bring a world title belt here."

Devan De Cinto (4-4) of Springfield, Vt., gained a split decision over Bryan Cullinane (2-1) of Rindge in the fourth amateur bout of the night.

In a professional scheduled four-round bout, West Forks, Maine, light welterweight Brandon Berry (3-0, 2 KOs) won in the third round when Jesus Javier Cintron (1-4-2) of Springfield, Mass., was disqualified for repeated low blows to the body.

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